Tube-splice vtjxcanizeb



C. E. MILLER.

TUBE SPLICE VULCANIZER.

APPL1cATloN-F|LED JULY 26. 1920.

1,364, 133.- ramed Jan. 4, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET s. Qwllllllllllllllill CharleE.MlZer,

C. E. MILLER.

TUBE smc; vuLCANlzER. APPLICATION FIL'ED JULY 26, 1920.

'Y Patented Jan. 4,192.1.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

moaw tot Charlas EMLer;

c. E. MILLER.

TUBE sPLlcE vu'L'cANlzER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, |920.

Patented Jan. 4,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

@une 11 for Ch arleSE. Miller,

' loiuu C. E. MILLER.

TUBE SPLICE VULCANIZER.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921. u 4r SHEETS-SHEET 4.

(av-#n @How ai,

thermes-.2.1i Y

.CHARLES MILIEROF ANDERSON, llvpniaim.`r

.TuBE-srnrcn vULCANIznR; .f l

. Appucaion mea 531151.26, :1920. kseal No. 399,109.

ToaZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES ,MEILLERQ a citizen ofthe 'UnitedStatesyresidingat Anderson, inthe `county `of Madison and State ofIndiana, `have linvented `certain :new Zand useful Improvements inTube-Splice canizers, .oi which ithe following eis' a specifioation.

This invention relates ytoatube splice vulcanizers and 4;it.oonsistsinthe `novel features hereinafter described land claimed.

An object of the invention 4is :to provide a tube splice vulcanizerfosimple structure which isadaptedzto effectually 0in the/ends of a rubbertube together 'when ithef'sameis intended to be used as :theinner Atube"of ;a

tire. i i 'i l A furtherobj ecto-the invention-ds to provide a :tubesplice ,vulcani-zerihavirg'its parts and features soanrangedandassociated=that the portions of ther-tube whiohlie adjacent the lspliceare not damaged or injured dur-Y ingfthe splioingoperation.

A still further lolofeetrof the invention is to provide fmeans forlsecurelyy and accurately holding the iparts of the ytube kinl .the-;pr'o'per adjusted lpositions with krelation to `each other during thesplicing operation, seth-at the ends of theltube may .be :properlyjoined together at :the intended 1pointer xlin'es.

A still .further object loi ythe .invention Nvis to provide animproved-method `for vulcanizing `the spliced rends ofla V/ruhber -tubewhich 'consist-s, essentially, in holding the @ends of the tube injuxtaposition =in :the fpreseneje ,of heat externally 'applied' andsimultaneously expanding the' ends of 'the tube from Within and pressingthem against fa circumsoribing abutment and Without suhj eating those`ypfortions of the tube which .are gadjaeentfthe splice'to *thedamagingeieets foftheheat.

In thel aeeompanyingdrawings Figure l pisy a A perspeetive view iothetube splice vuleanizer illustrating ftheend TPO?- tions oi' a tube heldtherein.

Lig. 2 islalongitudinalseetional view of theA Same. f

Fig. "3 is 1fa;transvers sectionalvewfof fthe used in .-thefftuhe spleevuleanizer. s

Fig. 5 J.is fa perspective' View of .a fblool;

used 1n the de'vce. j, 1

kEig. eis a perspectirenew ef ,aymandrel ends. "lhewsaid mandrelis'eyli-ndrical in 'transverse` section. yrll-hemandrel is providedfFigpf s-alperspective view 'of abag-u'sed therein. f

yThe ftube splice vulcanizer comprisesa .mandrel lfwh-ic'h is `hollowand open at itsy 'specification of Letters/retest 'l l .Patented Jan.r1921;

at its side withgay .longitudinally disposed y kslotQ which extendsYfrom vend'tojend ofthe mandrel. The slot2'isprovided at apointv betweenthfendsof thefmandrel with an enlargement 3. Alieollar .lfisjprovided atone end of thefmandrel andthe said'collar is rounded atftheouter edge ofitsouter end as at.- 'The slotQ passes` through the `said collar.

,"The mandrel 1 is provided at alp'oint between its endswitha'seoond-.collar 6 `and which iis provided 4at its edge and at that4lar Liawith anfoutstanding'flange"1. The slot The enlargement 180itheslot 2 is located kgiaoe whichiss'the more remote ffrom vthe colat vazpint "approximately 'midway between n drel as hereinbefore described;are preferably integralorfonebody;

.The tube splice vuloanizer also includes .a

- bag or saokrS .Whichgis adapted to .be :wrapped around lthe mandreland.` lie L,between rthe collars 4 and 6 thereof. The bag I8 kis madeqpreferably of rubber or similar `eXpansible 'material andthe said bagisclosed at its: ends and whiohareladaptedsto overlapeach other f i 2whenthe parts are assembled.

The nipjple 19 is ,provided at .pointfbetweenlits `ends iwith-fa fbendwhereby Vone yend y,portionofthe sa'idfnipplemayiextend along .thjemand-rel and withinqthelsam`eand fout. at Y,one fend .,tl1ereof.,` lllhesaid nipple may fbe eonneoted'with'jsdurceyofair pressure (not f shown)whereby air -junder pressure z may f'be passed into the bag 8 and expandthel'same during `fthe, splicing operation as `hereinafter the mbe1,5911@ @meneer farther 1ineludesa :steamv jaelifet `lOwwhichishollowand areuate in side elevation.' n The rends 1120i the jacket-fare:juxtaposed with yrelation kkto ward each other from the central portionof the jacket to the peripheral portion thereof. The jacket is providedat its opposite sides and at the ends of the central opening thereofwith outstanding flanges 12 which have spaced ends that lie in the sameplanes as those in which the ends of the body of the jacket lie.Therefore a passageway is provided through which a tube 13 v`may bepassed, sidewise, into the jacket and through which the said tube may bepassed when the jacket is removed from the same.

The jacket is provided with a steam'inlet port 14 which is locatedopposite the space between the ends of the jacket, and the jacket isprovided at its opposite sides with steam outlet ports 15.

Fig. 2 of the drawings shows the arrangement of the parts when inposition for the vulcanizing operation. To effect this arrangement oneend portion of the tube 13 is collapsed and passed through themandrel 1. The nipple 9 is then passed through the enlargement 3 of theslot 2 and is extended along the collapsed portion of the tube 13 andextends out and beyond one end of the mandrel. The bag 8 is then wrappedaround the mandrel and lies between the collars 4 and 6 of the mandrel.The tube 13 is then opened and carried around the rounded end portion 5of the collar 4 and is slipped back over the bag and the collar 6.Thetube is then folded upon itself and carried toward that end of themandrel at which the collar 4 is located so that the edge of the tube 13lies approximately midway between the collars 4 and 6. The other end ofthe tube 13 is then passed over that portion of the said tube which isin position over the end of the vInandrel at which the collar 4 islocated so that the end edges of the tube,13 come together. The block 16is then removed from between the ends of the jacket 10 and the tube 13is partially collapsed and passed sidewise through the space between,the ends of the jacket. The mandrel is then shoved into position withinthe jacket and the block is replaced in position between the ends of thejacket. j

Assuming that the tube and the parts of the tube splice vulcanizer areassembled in the positions as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and thatthe operation of vulcanizing the ends of the tube together is about tobegin. Steam is admitted into the jacket 10 through the inlet port 14whereby the end portions of the tube 13 are heated. The flanges 12 atthe sides of the jacket diffuse the heat at the end portions of the tubeand prevent damage to the tube in the vicinity of the splice. At thesame time air is ad- `mitted through the nipple 9 into the bag 8 wherebythe bag is expanded and the abutting ends of the tube are forced fromwithin against the inner surfaces of the jacket l0 and the block 16whereby the ends of the tube are vulcanized together in the presence ofheat applied from the exterior of the tube and from pressure appliedfrom with-y in the tube whereby it is expanded and4 pressed against thesaid inner surfaces of the jacket and block. After the ends of the tubeare spliced together and in order to remove the tube from the vulcanizerthe method, as hereinbefore described setting forth the manner ofarranging the parts for Vthe vulcanizing operation is reversed. Hencejacket having a central opening and spaced ends which are opposite eachother, said jacket having outstanding flanges located at its sides andat the ends of the opening.

4. In a tube splice vulcanizer a hollow jacket having a central openingand spaced ends which are opposite each other, a block insertible in thespace between the ends. said jacket also having outstanding flangeslocated at its sides and at the ends of the opening.

5. In a tube splice vulcanizer a hollow jacket having spaced ends whichare opposite each other, a block insertible in the space between theends and means for securing the block in position between the ends.

6. In a tube splice vulcanizer a hollow jacket having spaced ends whichare opposite each other, a block insertible in the space between theends and a stem screw threaded into the block and having a collaradapted to engage the jacket.

7. In a tube splice vulcanizer a hollow jacket having spaced ends withconverging opposite surfaces, and a wedge shaped block insertible in thespace between the ends and adapted to engage the saidconvergingsurfaces. j

8. In a tube splice vulcanizer a hollow jacket having spaced ends withconverging oppositeA surfaces, a wedge shaped blockinsertible in thespace between the' ends land adapted to engage the said convergingsurfaces and a stem having screwlthreadengagement with the block andhaving a collar adapted to engage the jacket.

'9. Atube splice vulcanizer comprising a mandrel, an inflatable bag"located thereon' nd a jacket for receiving the mandrel land 10. A tubesplice vulcanizer comprising a mandrel provided with a slot, aninflatable bag located upon the mandrel and having a nipple which passesthrough the 'slot and a jacket receiving the mandrel and bag.

11. A tube splice vulcanizer comprising a mandrel having spaced collars,an inflatable bag located on the mandrel between the co-ln lars and ajacket for and bag.

12. A tube splice vulcanizer comprising a mandrel having spaced collarsand a longitudinally disposed slot, an inflatable bag located upon themandrel between the collars and having a nipple which passes through theslot and a jacket for receiving the mandrel and bag.

13. In a tube splice vulcanizer a mandrel having a slot, a jacketadapted to receive the receiving the mandrel mandrel and a bag havingclosed ends and adapted to wrap upon the mandrel and having ya ynippleadapted to pass through the slot. g f c f ,n

lLIn a tube splice vulcanizer a mandrel having a slot, and 'a bagadapted to Wrap upon the kmandrel andhaving closed ends, said Vbag beingprovided at a pointbetween its ends with a nipple which passes throughthe slot,` v c c c 15. A ytube splice vulcanizer comprising a mandrehajacket adapted to receive the mandrel and a tubeexpanding member lo,-cated upon the mandrelf and yWithin the 16. The method of splicing theends ay K* taneously rexpanding the ends of the tube from Withink andpressing'k them against a circumscriblng abutment.

In testimony whereof I aIiX my signature."

' cHARLEsE. MILLER.

